God blessed me with a creative soul, knowing it would comfort and nurture me in this crazy world.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

My Newest Goodie

First of all, I'm sorry for such a long absence. I've had a bad month+ of illness and have done little in the creativity department. I'm feeling a bit better and hope to actually sew something soon.

I do have something to show you today. Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, you can shop from your home and have things delivered to your door..... doesn't matter if you are sick or not! (Did you know this?!) Admittedly, this can also be a very bad thing!

I've been looking for a Singer Featherweight for several years. Many things have stopped me from getting one..... couldn't find the perfect machine for me..... too much money.... bad timing.... whatever. I cruise EBay frequently, always looking for the machine that "has my name on it" and I finally found it!

Here she is, my first Featherweight! I lucked out finding her. The person selling this must not have known what he could have charged for this particular machine. It was a BIN (buy it now) auction and was only listed for a couple of minutes before I bought it. I knew if I hesitated at all, it would be gone. He had few pictures, a short description, and didn't even mention her best features. I took a huge leap of faith ..........

She's a May 1938 model and has the wonderful scroll face plate that I wanted so badly. Overall, her condition is very good. All of these pictures are her "before" pictures, as I have done nothing to perk her up yet. She needs a good cleaning, lube and oil job, and finally, a waxing to restore her full luster. I've been watching YouTube videos that demonstrate just how to do this the proper way.

Backside...

This is the main damage that I found.... just a little deterioration of the front decal where someone has rested their wrist over the years. This is certainly expected on a machine that is 77 years old and this wear and tear is actually very minor for her age.

Here's her beautiful front scroll face plate... it's perfect!

This is her original case, which has several condition issues, but again, it's to be expected for a machine case this old. It's all intact and in working order. The handle is still very functional, even though the leather handle is splitting. Both hinges work perfectly. Although the case has dings and scratches, much of this will be hidden after a little cleaning and TLC.

This is the original tray inside the case and the goodies that were included. Not much to speak of except that it has an original key. There is also an additional foot.....hiding in the upper left corner.... the adjustable hemming foot.

She may not be perfect, but she is all mine! I'll post some "after" pictures when I get her all cleaned up and running smoothly. Which, by the way, she does run but I think she may be a little sluggish. After her cleaning, oiling, and lubing, I'm expecting her to purr.

And here's a Kirby update. He's doing quite well.... he's enjoying a tasty snap pea in this shot. He's in the middle of a major molt..... his crest feathers are all gone and those are new ones growing in that you see in the photo. He'll be one handsome dude in a few months! In my last post I told you that he could say "Hi Kirby" and that I'd be happy if that is all that he ever learned to say. Well..... he's a regular chatterbox now. He learns new words easily and can now say "Kirby is a good boy" ..... "I'm a big bird"...... "I love you" ...... "Kirby dance" (bobs his head when he says this)..... sings "Kirby, Kirby, Kirby.... Takes me a few days of saying a particular phrase to him and then he begins to imitate me. He talks "people" about half of the time and "bird" the rest of the time. His "people" speaking is much easier on my ears!

Thanks for stopping by today. At least this post was sewing related, even if there wasn't a completed project to show......soon, I hope!

So glad you're feeling better and Congrats! I just bought a FW for Christmas and I love Betty Lou (named after my Aunt that did awesome sewing). I follow a group on FB that has awesome tips and is hosted by http://april1930s.corecommerce.com/ where I bought a new foot pedal (the old ones can overheat), a new LED bulb (I highly recommend it) and a small bottle of Zymol Carnauba Wax & Polish. A regular size bottle is extremely expensive so I'm glad to find someone who re-bottles it in a more affordable size. I also get Tips of the Month from http://www.novamontgomery.com/featherweight-parts-891.htm and have bought lubricant in a syringe for my motor-she has a great you tube on how to apply it and I've done it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_lrUQTkd9g&list=PLwCCS4T93oynloozGowYpTpG6jp7rKGkv&index=13 You will enjoy your FW once you get it up and humming. My case has that awful smell a lot of people complain about so I don't put her back in the case. "We" made her a quilted cover with a paper pieced FW on the front.

The featherweight is beautiful as is right now......my my how it will sparkle after you get your hands on it ! Kirby is a doll ! Most people don't realize cockatiels can talk....I used to raise them years ago....so glad to see you feeding him fresh veggies !

Daily Blessing

About Me

I learned to sew when I was 4 years old. My dear Aunt Billie, now with the Lord, taught me how to make a simple pillow slip on her treadle sewing machine. Who knew that would be the beginning of a lifetime of creativity!